Candlelight
by Ankosune
Summary: [angsty oneshot] She waited and hoped, praying that she would feel something before the scarce time she had left was up. [onesided yuriku] [implied rikuiné]


» C a n d l e _l i g h t_ .

**yu**riku && _rikuiné_

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_The day this candle goes out is the day my love for you will do the same._

The young woman lifted her face from her hands and stared at the flickering candle on her bedside table, remembering that silent promise she had made only six days ago.

The promise she had made when _he _had arrived.

_You are my light_.

She stood slowly from the bed, fingering the shuriken clutched in her hand, and took small but deliberate steps towards the center of the room, her determination to do what she was about to do growing with every _thud_ her bare feet emitted as they came in contact with the wooden floor. She turned around, her charcoal strands fanning out behind her before settling to brush their tips against the nape of her neck. She raised her left arm, aiming two of the sharp points of the metal star at her chest. Her indigo orbs flickered towards her window—the thick pane of glass that separated her from the rest of the world—for one final glance at the place she had come to call home. Her eyes swept over the desolate streets of Traverse Town, the dim, gloomy lamps nestled inside their stone prison on the upper level of the Second District mirroring the emotions swirling deep inside of her, a ragin maelstrom of loneliness and despair, before they landed on a young couple seated on the edge of the fountain. The purring water reflected the sparse glow of the lights above it, making it dance upon the white-clad girl and the silver-haired male, on whom she was leaning, perched before it.

A forlorn smile graced the young woman's lips.

_But I guess you've already found yours._

She tore her gaze from the pair, her eyelids descending to meet her ebony lashes, shutting out everything around her for the last time. She tightened the muscles in her arm, preparing herself for what was to come. She inhaled, taking in her last breath of air, before bringing the weapon clutched in her hand down to meet her chest.

She gasped, filling her lungs with oxygen that would never again be released, backing up until her thighs collided with the bed as the frigid metal pierced her pale flesh. Using the last of her strength, she braced the palms of her hands against the comforter, the woolen warmth cluctched between her fingers contrasting against the forsty web of ice that even now was spinning itself inside her. Her eyes wrenched themselves open and, though everything was out of focus, she could still make out the blood, the scarlet life liquid flowing from the wound below her collarbone, the shuriken blossoming form it like a morbid silver flower bud that thrived on the river of crimson substance that trickled down her stomach, staining her shirt, pooling into an ominous red puddle on the floor.

Her mouth curved upward once more, this time with satisfaction.

She felt her arms start to give way beneath her as she succumbed to her impending death, the smothering darkness that loomed closer with every second that passed. Her knees sank, crashing to the floor, much like her life had only a few days ago, but she felt no pain; her entire body had gone numb. She fell forward, barely aware of the fact that her arms had lashed out to hold her up before she could hit the ground. Bitter tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, from which light was already beginning to escape. She found that she had just enough air in her lungs to do what she had always wanted to do, ever since _he _had arrived. She summoned up as much energy as her trembling, weakening frame would allow, and let four words escape her lips. Though they came out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper, they hung suspended in the air like a thick blanket—a blanket that would never wrap around the shoulders of the one it was meant for. She knew this, and still she spoke them, for they meant the world to her, and even more so now, for she had never had the courage to say those four words in front of him; those four words that could change a person's life forever.

But whether or not he heard her now didn't matter anymore; all she wanted now was to feel what it was like to draw those words out into the open.

"I love you, Riku."

She waited, hoping for that telltale tingle in her mouth that she had read about in so many romance novels. But nothing came to her. Still, she waited and hoped, praying that she would feel something before the scarce time she had left was up. It was only when her limbs began to tremble, threatening to send her toppling to the ground, that she realized that she was too near death to feel anything; too far from life to have emotions.

She had no more energy left, not even to fight the icy darkness gnawing at her. One last thought made its way into her head, searing her mind like a hot iron.

_Take care of him, Naminé_.

She finally collapsed, her arms buckling underneath her as her last ounce of willpower left her body. The remaining air inside her made one last failed attempt to escape before dissolving. Her heart began to palpitate frnatically, desperately trying to keep her alive, before slowing and stopping altogether as it realized the futility of its actions. Her head landed with a _thump_ against the floor, her hair fanning out around her like a dusky picture frame that portrayed the agony and suffering she had endured for the past few days. Her eyes closed, but it made no difference; her world had gone black not a moment before.

The feeble falme of the candle on the beside table flickered once before going out.

x

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x

_end_

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**Disclaimer**: Oh yes, I do own Kingdom Hearts. Well, I thought I did, but then I woke up and realized it was all a dream.

A/N: Mmyes, I did realize I never mentioned Yuffie's name in the story. Not once.

&&Flame me if you must.

Just review, ne?


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